Carl Tyler's Blog

So I think I have my best route to New Jersey now having tried a few different ways, and had different times, for anyone that is interested, the following route took me approx 6 hours yesterday, the key thing for any successful route appears to be, avoid I95 and any roads near New York City. So the Route is:

Leave Newmarket 152 South -> 101 East -> 95 South -> 495 South -> 290 West -> 90 West -> 84 West -> 684 South - Saw Mill Parkway -> 87 West (over the Tappan Zee Bridge) -> Garden State Parkway South -> 287 West - Arrive Piscataway

The interesting thing about any trip to a different state in the US is the different fast food places and coffee places.  In New England fast food pretty much is McDonalds with a few Wendys.  New York State and White Castle starts to appear.  Get into New Jersey and White Castles are much more popular.  Go to the west coast and there are lots of Carl's and Jack in the Boxes.  Go to Nebraska and you'll find Runza (a bit like a Cornish pastie without the veggies, pretty tasty).  Vermont has Moose Burger, and Idaho has Potatoe King (OK I'm lying about the last two, Vermont actually has Ben and Jerry's).  England is no different with Pubs and chip shops I suppose, with some chip shops serving Mushy Pea balls and others having no idea what the hell they are.  Up in Scotland I think they eve sell deep fat fried battered Mars bars (Milky Way to US readers, Milky Way in the US is 3 Musketeers for Brits)

Boston has a Dunkin Donuts on pretty much every corner, I have a friend who is a bit like a dog when it comes to Dunkin Donuts, in the same way that dogs stop to pee on every lamp post they pass, my friend has to stop at every Dunkin Donuts he passes to get a double mocha chocca frozen glazed whipped frap coffee.  If you ever ask him for directions it will be something like "go two blocks, they'll be  a Dunking Donuts on your left, then go 3 blocks past the Dunkin Donuts, then after the Dunkin Donuts at the lights go past 4 Dunkin Donuts and take a right at the light, through the Dunkin Donuts and you'll find the place you're looking for on the right.  The other amazing thing is that he knows what hours each Dunkin Donuts is open.  You could be driving back from somewhere with him at about 4am, when he'll pull off the main road drive about 13 miles and pull up outside a Dunkin Donuts, and then look at you and say, well all the others are closed and I knew this one would be open at this time, at which point he'll get out and return with a 2 galloon frozen coffee.

Feel free to post a comment with a food that's local to you, or a food you can no longer get now you live somewhere else, it would be interesting to see what fast food joints you have around you.